Quercetin, Bromelain and Vitamin C:
Natural Antihistamines for Allergy Support
By
VRP Staff
Spring is a time that causes many to rejoice. The blooming flowers, green grasses and trees symbolize winter’s end. For others, however, this joy at the rebirth of nature is overshadowed by the dread of itchy, runny noses, watery eyes and the fatigue that accompanies seasonal allergies, otherwise known as allergic rhinitis.
Several nutrients—quercetin, bromelain, and Vitamin C—may offer support to those who dread the spring sniffles. Each of these nutrients has conquered various symptoms of allergic rhinitis in human, animal, and/or cell culture studies.
Quercetin reduces the release of histamine, the substance that triggers allergies. Histamine is produced by mast cells. In allergic rhinitis, mast cells in the nasal area increase in number and are thought to play an important role in the nasal symptoms that occur during seasonal allergies. In one study, researchers triggered histamine release in nasal scrapings from seasonal allergy patients exposed to mite antigen. When the nasal scrapings were exposed to quercetin, histamine release was inhibited 46 percent to 96 percent.[1] In another study of rat mast cells exposed to an allergen, quercetin inhibited histamine release by 95 percent and 97 percent.[2]
Bromelain is the general name for a group of proteolytic enzymes derived from pineapple stems. Through its action on the blood-clotting-related substances fibrinogen and fibrin, bromelain stimulates the production and release of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (PGs), while simultaneously reducing the production and release of pro-inflammatory PGs.[3,4]
Allergic reactions typically involve an excess release of inflammatory PGs, which contributes to the swelling, redness and itching. Vitamin C is a natural antihistamine. It both prevents histamine release and increases the detoxification of histamine. A 1992 study found that taking 2 grams vitamin C daily lowered blood histamine levels 38 percent in healthy adults in just one week.[5]
VRP’s QuerCelain™
VRP’s QuerCelain™ contains the synergistic blend of Vitamin C, quercetin and bromelain. Vitamin C is included in the form of Magnesium ascorbate, which helps activate bromelain and prevents calcium entry into mast cells, further helping to stop allergic histamine release.
References
1. Otsuka H, Inaba M, Fujikura T, Kunitomo M. Histochemical and functional characteristics of metachromatic cells in the nasal epithelium in allergic rhinitis: studies of nasal scrapings and their dispersed cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995, Oct;96(4):528-36.
2. Haggag EG, Abou-Moustafa MA, Boucher W, Theoharides TC. The effect of a herbal water-extract on histamine release from mast cells and on allergic asthma.J Herb Pharmacother 2003;3(4):41-54.
3. Kelly G. “Bromelain: A literature review and discussion of its therapeutic applications” Alt Med Rev 1 (1996):243-57.
4. Taussig, S. The mechanism of the physiological action of bromelain. Med Hypoth 6 (1980): 99-104.
5. Johnston C. et al. Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis” J Am Coll Nutr 11 (1992):172-76.
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